Improvement in string-bearing for piano-fortes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD A. TOOKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGN OR TO HIMSELF AND YVILLIAM B. BRADBURY, OF BLVOOMFIELD, NEIV JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN STRING-BEARING FOR PIANO-FORTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,384, dated October 20, 1863.

To alZZ whom it mayV concern.:

Beit known that I, RICHARD A. TooKER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved String- Bearing for Piano-Fortes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view illustrating two modes of applying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical view of one 0l` said modes. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal vertical view of the other Inode. Fig. et is a transverse vertical section in theline ma; of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a front view of one of the string-bearings detached. y

Similailetters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My improved string-bearing,which may be employed at either or both ends of the string, and which serves the purposes of securing the string at a proper elevation and of accurately regulating the length and direction of the vibrating portion of the string,and maintains a proper distribution of the scale, consists of a screw having a thread on its stem or body by which to secure it in the soundboard bridge or to the sound board itself, without the use ofthe bridge, or in the wrestplank or wrest-plankbridge, and a slotted head having a screw-thread on the exterior for the reception of a nut by which to clamp the string or strings within the slot or slots in such manner as to give them a rm and durable bearing both above, below, and on both sides.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the sound-board; B, the sound-board bridge; C, the wrest-plank, and D the wrestplank bridge. E E E Eg are the string-bearings which l call compensating-screw bearings. These may be made of steel, brass, or other metal. Each has a screw-thread, a, upon its body or shank, by which to attach it to the soundboard and wrest-plank or their bridges, and it may have a shoulder, b, above this thread; but such shoulder might be dispensed with. The upper part or head,which may be slightly taper in an upward direction or toward the tip, has cut upon it a thread, c, for the reception of the nut [Lof steel or other metal; and in this part one, two7 or more slots, e, are cut, according to the number of strings to a note, each of said slots being slightly widened at one point, as shown atf in Fig. 5, to form a nearly-round bearing-surface to support the string g above and below as well as at its sides. The head may be flattened or otherwise reduced in thickness in the direction of the string to form as narrow a bearingl to the string as may be desirable.

The bearings E and E' E/ applied to the sound-board bridge and wrest plank have their screw-threads c secured directly into the bridge and wrest-plank without nuts, as there is depth of wood sufficient to givethem a proper hold and support; but the bearing E2, which is applied to the sound-board without a bridge, is screwed into the said board and further secured by a nut, p, screwed on underneath or behind the board, as shown in Figs. 2 and fl. The string or strings are inserted through the opening or openingsf bcfore thenutis put on, or whileit is on the upper part of the screwthread @,and when the string or strings have been inserted and secured to their pins the nut is screwed down and made to draw together the metal on opposite sides of the slot or slots c, and so made to contract the opening or openingsfaround the string in such manner as to make it constitute a bearing almost completely surrounding the string and sustaining it in all directions.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The string-bearing composed of a screw having its head slotted for the reception of the string or strings, and a screw-thread on such slotted head fitted with a nut for the purpose of securing the parts of the head upon the string or strings, substantially as and the purpose herein specified.

RICHARD A. TO OKER.

Vitnesses:

THos. S. J. DOUGLAS, D. ROBERTSON. 

